In a stark illustration of the escalating lawlessness and mob rule gripping parts of Bangladesh under the interim government, a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) member was killed and three others seriously injured on January 19 when hundreds of armed criminals ambushed a security team in the remote hilly area of Jungle Salimapur, Sitakunda of Chittagong.
Nayeb Subedar Md. Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan was pronounced dead at Chittagong Combined Military Hospital (CMH) after sustaining critical injuries during the assault. The injured RAB personnel are currently under treatment at the same facility.
RAB-7 Senior Assistant Director (Media) ARM Mozaffar Hossain confirmed the incident, stating that a 43-member team led by Major Jalis Mahmud Khan had launched an operation in Jungle Salimapur to apprehend an armed terrorist when approximately 400โ500 criminals, alerted via loudspeaker announcements, launched a sudden and coordinated attack.
“The attackers mobilised rapidly and launched a surprise assault,” Mozaffar said. “We are now working to identify and apprehend those responsible, with ongoing coordination with local police.” Chittagong District Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime & Operations) Md. Sirajul Islam noted that planning for a follow-up operation would begin on Tuesday, January 20, given the late-night timing of the incident.
The attack underscores a long-standing pattern of criminal dominance in Jungle Salimapur, a 3,100-acre expanse of government khas land and hills that has been illegally occupied for four decades. A Prothom Alo investigation published three months ago detailed how armed gangs control the area, enforcing entry through identity checks, guarding access points with iron gates, and violently repelling any law enforcement or administrative presence. The region has become a no-go zone for police, district administration, and even journalists, who have faced beatings and attacks while attempting to report.
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Since the political upheaval of August 5, 2024, internal clashes among rival criminal factionsโoften linked to land-grabbing syndicatesโhave intensified, resulting in multiple murders, shootouts, and territorial wars. At least four killings have occurred in the past 14 months, all tied to control over hill plots and illegal settlements. Criminal groups, including those historically backed by local political figures, have turned the area into a lucrative illegal real estate market, selling plots worth tens of lakhs despite the land being government-owned. Estimates suggest the site’s total value could exceed 30,000 crore taka, with ongoing plot sales advertised openly through flyers and community associations.
Government development projectsโincluding a new central jail, IT park, model mosque, and othersโremain stalled due to the inability to reclaim the land. District administration sources confirm that 48 institutions have applied for the site, but occupation by land grabbers, hill cutters, and armed syndicates has rendered implementation impossible. Joint operations have repeatedly failed, with security forces ambushed from hilltops using gunfire, bricks, and cocktails.
Assistant Director of the Department of Environment (Chittagong), Muktadir Hasan, who himself faced an attack during a 2019 operation, reiterated the need for a coordinated, high-level joint effort: “Without a planned, multi-agency operation from the top, the hills of Jungle Salimapur cannot be saved.”
The January 19 ambush comes amid broader concerns over deteriorating law and order under the interim regime. Critics describe the current situation as a “state-sponsored mobocracy,” where armed gangs operate with apparent impunity in strategic areas, while security forces are repeatedly targeted. The incident follows a string of similar attacks on law enforcement and administration in the region, highlighting systemic failures in restoring state authority over illegally occupied public land.
As the February 12 national election and referendum approach, the Jungle Salimapur violence serves as a grim reminder of the challenges facing Bangladesh: unchecked criminal networks, territorial anarchy, and the apparent inability of authorities to reclaim control over sovereign territory. Without decisive, unified action, such no-go zones risk expanding, further eroding the rule of law and public safety across the country, activists say.
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